Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a step structure for a saddle-ride vehicle such as a motorcycle.
Background Art
In a motorcycle, a step for placing each foot of an occupant is frequently provided on a vehicle frame through a bracket. Such a known step is described in Japanese Patent Literature 1, JP-A No. S62-61888.
Patent Literature 1 discloses a step structure in which a rotor, rotatably retained, is provided to a bracket and a step (footrest) projecting lateral to a vehicle body is provided in a position deviating from a rotational center of the rotor. With this structure, by rotating the rotor, a position of the step is moved around the rotational center of the rotor, and the position of the step can be adjusted.
With the structure disclosed in Patent Literature 1, the rotor is retained in a retaining hole formed in the bracket. In the bracket, for example, a side of an outer periphery of the retaining hole is cut. Thereby, a periphery of the retaining hole can be elastically deformed. With the rotor retained in the retaining hole, when cut edges on both sides in a cutting position of the bracket are fastened to each other by a bolt, an inner peripheral surface of the retaining hole and an outer peripheral surface of the rotor are brought into pressure contact with each other, and rotation of the rotor is prevented. On the other hand, when the bolt is unfixed, the bracket is elastically deformed in a direction where the cut edges on both the sides in the cutting position are separated from each other, and the rotor can be rotated in the retaining hole.
Also, the step has a support shaft (bolt shaft) that is inserted into a mounting hole bored in a position deviating from the rotational center of the rotor. The support shaft is fastened and fixed to the rotor by fitting a nut at a shaft end. Thereby, when the nut is unfixed, the step can be rotated around the mounting hole of the rotor. On the other hand, when the nut is fastened, the step is non-rotatably fixed to the mounting hole of the rotor.
In the above-described known art, when the position of the step is adjusted, the bolt is unfixed to rotate the rotor in the retaining hole of the bracket, so that the position of the step is changed. At this time, a mounting angle of the step is changed in association with the rotation of the rotor, thereby creating a need to unfix the nut for fixing the step and to adjust an angle of the step according to the position of the step.
In this way, the mutually different fastening members must be unfixed or fastened by changing the position of the step and adjusting the angle of the step. For this reason, there is such a problem that work is complicated.
Although the known steps for motorcycles and other saddle-ride vehicles are usable for their intended purposes, a need still exists in the art for an improved step for a saddle-ride vehicle, which will permit easy adjustment of the position of the step and the angle of the step,